MMR Rash, anyone?

[alleyoop]

Back story: DS started breaking out in a rash on Sunday, which we thought was prickly heat. By Monday afternoon, there was more, and it was more noticable. Yesterday he was pretty well covered with small red dots so I took him to see the ped. The ped "thinks" that it is a reaction from the MMR shot he had on his 12mo appt (Sunday was 12 days after the shot). Since it wasn't hurting him any, and he didn't have a fever she said that it would probably go away in a couple days, but call if he gets a fever, it turns pussy, or a small list of other bad things happen.

Last night we had one of those nights from hell. Screaming child for over an hour, itching really bad. The rash bloomed into something horrible. It is now completely covering his body, paticularly bad on his face. The dots are bigger, some run together and more raised. He is obviously in serious discomfort. I have tried Tylenol, Motrin and Benadryl... of those the Motrin seems to make him a bit better.

He still doesn't have a fever or any other symptoms other than being in pain, itching and looking like something toxic (just like the textbook measels rash pictures you can find on the internet).

My question... does anyone know of any topical home remedies that might help us through this? Poor thing is just miserable! This is basiclly a form of measels, right?

This picture does not do it justice. Maybe I should call the ped again... HELP!

[mharling]

Poor little guy!!! I would definitely call the ped again.

Mary & Lane 4/6/03
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3524e54e42d - New 10/3

[Rachels]

Definitely call the ped again! You might also try homeopathic thuja occidentalis, which is good for vaccine reactions.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[nohomama]

Definitely call your ped. It's good that Nate doesn't have a fever but the rash and his obvious discomfort are reasons for concern. Though contracting measles from the vaccine is relatively rare, it is possible. A friend had it happen to her youngest child. Regardless of the cause, Nate's rash looks pretty severe to me and isn't something I'd fool around with. This is an instance where another visit to the dr. is warranted.

[alleyoop]

Ok, so I called the dr again, and the nurse just said to give him Benadryl around the clock and it will pass in a couple days. I told her that it was much worse, itchy, all over his body and quite red/mottled, but she didn't seem concerned.

Ugh. That wasn't really the answer I wanted to hear...

You know... You don't want to be the 'call all the time' type of person. But then, you don't want to be in the emergency room and have someone say, "why did you wait so long?"

I guess we will try the Benadryl through the nite, and if it doesn't look better in the morning, call again. Oh, the worry!

[nohomama]

The whoe triage over the phone senario drives me bonkers. I understand that there are parents who call their pediatricians when their child so much as sneezes, but I think really concerning symptoms can be written off too easily over the phone.

If you feel uneasy with the advice that you were given or feel like Nate's symptoms are getting worse, call back! Be a pest and insist on talking to the dr. Mabye it is only a mild allergic reaction but you're paying your pediatrician to provide you with good medical care and peace-of-mind.

[Calmegja]

My 8 year old had the rash. It passed very, very quickly.

Callie never complained with itchiness or anything, and it looked like pink speckling.....mainly on her trunk.

Actually, Josh just had roseola, it looks/sounds more like that, to my completely untrained eye.... No kidding, my kid looked just like that not two weeks ago.....

[AngelaS]

Wow, that is QUITE a rash! It does sound like it's a reaction to the shot since it appeared 12 days post vaccine.

Gabrielle broke out in a bit of a rash 12 days after her MMR shot too. I called the Ped, just to be sure and she assured me that it was no big deal and that now we know she's immune. :D

But, if your son is that uncomfortable, I'd take him in! Call and tell them he's covered in a horrible itchy rash! :D

[nohomama]

I would say that 12 days is an unusually long time for a reaction to occur. Generally vaccine reactions happen within a few days. Jessica may be right that the cause of the rash is something completely different.

[peanut4us]

If I think the doctor needs to address it, I just bypass the nurse and ask for appts. The appt girl usually doesn't know what 's going on. So I just ask for an appt for a rash. Voila. THen I get to see the doctor and, if I'm feeling particularly mature, stick my tongue out at the nurse when she calls us in from the waiting room ;)

[Annette_C]

Sabrina got her MMR vaccine yesterday and our ped's office always gives handouts pertaining to the vaccine.
On the MMR handout it says that reactions can take up to 2 weeks after the vaccine is administered to show up.
Sabrina also had Roseola but that is not itchy at all.
Poor little guy! I hope he feels better soon.
Annette
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

[kwc]

That's definitely an MMR rash... yes, it is the "attenuated" version of measles, not an allergic reaction! According to the "Red Book" (infectious disease book) from the AAP, 5% of MMR recipients may have "transient rash" usually 6-12 days after vaccination. Looks just like measles... though the one older person I know who had it wasn't as itchy as your poor son sounds (but my friend was 26 years old!)... she said she used Aveeno baths and calamine lotion though that probably wouldn't help your son's face. Ironically, the near-eradication of true measles means we don't have people who lived through the discomfort of measles to guide us!

Benadryl around the clock sometimes helps, mostly because it is so sedating but taking it around the clock seems to help with the itch-scratch-itch cycle. If the Benadryl isn't helping, you might want to ask the ped for some Atarax (also an antihistimine but some think it is better for itching than benadryl). Another thing that I know than can help with itching in general is a warm (slightly hotter than usual) bath... maybe it fools the nerve endings?

Sorry I don't have any more suggestions! Hope your son feels better soon!!!

[MamaKath]

ITA! Classic MMR reaction! Poor baby, hope he feels better soon. MMR rections often get mistaken as other things because we anticipate them immediately, but they come between 5 and 14 days after the actual immunizations take place.

Roseola is preceeded by a high fever and is not tight and speckled like that appears to be.

Oatmeal baths are good at relieving itching. Also Aveeno makes some anti itch bath problems.

And {{{HUGS}}} for a very tired and worried mommy! You are doing the right things, and just hang in there!!!!

[Calmegja]

Whatever it is, I hope he gets better soon.

Figures my kids would have both things in a strange manner. ;-) Callie's MMR reaction had not a speck of itching, and didn't look as pronounced as that, and Josh's roseola had the high, unexplained fever a few days before, and then the rash that looked just like that, with some itching.

[Melanie]

Your poor little one! Make sure your ped. reports the lot and info to www.vaers.org

I hope he's feeling better.